Young Mass Presents...the Best of Daygo City

Young Mass brought together San Diego’s hip-hop standouts on his new compilation The Best of Daygo City. Mass takes you on a trip around Daygo City's diverse hip-hop scene with 22 tracks showing off the city's underground, gangsta, and mainstream talent.

"Product of My Environment," the record's opener, exemplifies Mass' vocal and production skills as he spits triumphantly over a classic West Coast, Dr. Dre-style piano riff. Mass lends his vocals to three other cuts on the album, including the "You Don't Have to Be a Star"-themed track "Celebrity Girl" alongside smooth-flow R&B singer J. Young.

On "San Diego Is the Combination," Verbz teams up with Blame One and Deep Rooted MC Mr. Brady to spew clever SD couplets ("Social Distortion/Snakes Deception/Stack Dollars/Stayin Deep/Songs Done"), but it's the barrage of SD-themed cuts by DJ Demon on the turntables that make this track classic.

Lady rapper Ms. Kitty trades rhymes with beau I-Rocc on a seductive, sexed-up journey from the club to the bedroom. Newcomer Shavone C rhyme's well beyond her 19 years of age, over a canary chirp-driven beat on "Baddest Chick Around," and Latin lovely Vision tops off a top-notch showing by Daygo City's hip-hop ladies.

To date, the most successful acts out of SD have been gangsta-style rappers Jayo Felony and Mitchy Slick, so no compilation out of our city would be complete without a few heaters representing. One of the CD's best is by the MCs of DieNasty Records when they combine with SiccMade, Crhymes, and Ecay Uno on a lyrical slaughter of everyone in their path called "19:04."

From Pacific Beach party group Outta Control's feel good jam "Come Correct" to the introspective style of Jimmy Powers on "Same James," you will be wondering why SD's hip-hop scene has not blown up yet. Maybe it will after the world gets a whiff of this joint!

Editor's note: This review was written by one of the record's producers.

Album title: Young Mass Presents...the Best of Daygo CityArtist: Various artistsLabel: Jake Records